Irvine Crews Quickly Clear Storm Debris : Damage: City workers and contractors streamed into business area where windows were shattered, trees uprooted and ventilation covers were ripped from roofs.

When Joyce Gaspard left work during the relentless rain on Monday evening, Von Karman Avenue looked like a war zone, with uprooted trees, fallen branches and debris covering much of the darkened street.

When the Webster University administrator returned to her Irvine office Tuesday morning, most of the debris she had seen the evening before was gone, a testimonial to the quick work of city crews.

“Except for the fallen trees you see,” said Gaspard, indicating the splintered tree trunks that had been removed to sidewalks or farther still from the street, “you wouldn’t believe something resembling a tornado zipped through here yesterday.”

Indeed, the tornado-like winds that whirled through the business complex Monday evening shattered windows, ripped roofing panels off of buildings, knocked out electricity and traffic lights, and uprooted more than 150 trees, blocking many streets in the vicinity.

WeatherData Inc., which does forecasts for The Times, said the winds, reaching speeds of 65 m.p.h., were caused by an “unusually strong” storm system off the coast. No tornado was actually charted in the area, said meteorologist Curtis Brack, but “since a definite path of damage was left behind, I wouldn’t doubt the possibility of . . . a very weak tornado.”

Immediately after the downpour, work crews canvassed Von Karman and nearby streets, and cleared all of the downed trees and other debris from the roads.

City officials said Tuesday that city property was left relatively unscathed by the furious winds. Rather, it was mostly private businesses that suffered most of the damage, they said.

Business workers in the area said the damage was limited mostly to shattered windows and air-conditioner or heater covers ripped from roofs.

“Considering that the winds were so powerful, I’d say we were very lucky,” said Ann Wirth, building manager of The Atrium, a complex of mostly financial businesses, where two windows on the 11th floor were shattered. There were “lots of downed trees but, as you can see, buildings are still standing.”

While city workers cleared the streets, nearby private properties were also bustling with contractors and landscapers hired for the next few days to remove fallen trees, brushes and branches.

“We’re just overwhelmed with all the work in the area,” said Greg Haynes, a Mission Viejo landscaper who was clearing brush and trees from Diceon Electronics on Von Karman. Haynes had to subcontract some of his work in the area to other landscapers.

“Just about every contractor in the county is here,” he said.

Down the road on Dove Street in Newport Beach, several windows of the Bank of California were shattered, causing bank officials to end business for the day.

The rain, which tapered off Tuesday morning, is not forecast to return this week.

Brack predicts mostly sunny days and clear skies for the rest of the week with lows in the mid-40s and high temperatures ranging from the upper 60s to the low 70s.